Mick-Goodlick-Mastering-Dominants.

t

byMickGoodrich

I

f you’re into improvising, stand the importance

you under-

of scales.

They provide a discipline gers and expose possibilities

for your fin-

your ears to melodic

you might otherwise

Of all the chord types, dominant seem to support scales.

the greatest

ignore. 7ths

number of

Let’s explore some of them.

Play through first. Gradually determine

Examples increase

workable

1-9, slowly

the tempo as you

fingerings

and begin

to hear each scale. Play the examples backward

too, resolving

at

to whatever

soia

*he

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1 MASTERING DOMINANTS

Cmuj7chord tone that sounds best to you. (That’s why I use so many accidentals. When you play the exercises forward, the extra accidentals seem redundant. But when you shift into reverse, they come in very handy.) As you work through the scales, keep these points in mind: Examples 1-7 are derived from seven-note scales, while Ex. 8 comes from an eight-note scale and Ex. 9 from a six-note scale. Ex. 6 is Ex. 5 transyrsed up a minor third. : Examples 5 and 7 work best against a G7sus4. l l l

Ex. 1

G7 Mixolydian (C major scale)

Cmaj7

G7 Lydian b7 (D melodicminor)

Cmaj7

G7 Phrygian major (C harmonic minor)

Cmaj7

G7 Mixolydian b6 (C melodic minor)

Cmaj7

En 2

Ex.4

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Ex. 5

G7 Phrygian t]6 (F melodicminor) * I

Cmaj7

G7 altered (A b melodic minor)

Cmaj7

Ex. 6

I

Ex. 7

G7sus4bg(G Phrygian - &major)

Cmaj7

Ex.8 G7 (F symmetricaldiminished)

Cmaj7

I

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1 MASTERING DOMINANTS

Ex. 9

G7 (G whole-tone)

Cmaj7

Thesescalesrepresentthe typical “inside”choicesyou’relikely to encounter.Nowlet’stouch on some“outside”options. Beforeyou tackletheselines,noticethat Exampleslo-13 arederivedfrom seven-notescales, whileF.x.14isfrom aneight-noteseries.The ninepreviousscalesplusthesenewexamplesencompass someof the usualsourcesfor melodicmaterial,aswellasa fewatypicalpossibilities to keenvou thinking. Ex. 10

G7 (E 1,melodicminor)

Cmaj7

I

I

U

Ex. 11

G7 (F # melodicminor)

Cmaj7

G7 (B melodic minor)

Cmaj7

Ex. 12

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HOW TO PLAY GUITAR / JAZZ I

MASTERINGDOMINANTS 1 *he

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v-fee

Ex.13

G7 (E b harmonic minor)

Cmaj7

Ex.14

G7 (C symmetricaldiminished)

Cmaj7

whiie“Outside”(Ex 16,next Toput thesescalesto use,I’ve written apair of tricks bluesheads“Inside”(Ex.15)employsourfirst ninescales, page)teststhe stranger-sounding options.Starttheseexercises slowly,thenwork up speedsoyou canhearthe color of the scales.(Thecircled numbersindicatethe scaletypeslisted on thenextpage.)Thesoundof thesetypical 12.barblueschordsshouldbefamiliarto you,but recording the changesto play overwill be a big helpwhenthe scalesget moreoutside.Whenyou getthe soundof the scalesin your head,cut loose with someimprovisingandplayyour brainsout!

‘Inside’ Ex.15

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‘Outside’

Ex.16 c7

@

F7

c7

F7

@ Mixolydian @ Lydian b7 @ Phrygian major @ Mixolydian b6 @ Phrygian i~6 6 Altered @Phrygian @ Symmetrical diminished 9 Whole-tone

0

0

@ Altered up a perfect 5th @ Altered down a major 2nd 0 2 Altered up a minor 3rd @ Harmonic minor up a minor 6th @ Symmetrical diminished up a perfect 4th @ Lydian b7 up a minor 3rd

Mick Goodrick teaches at New England Conservatory and is the author ofAdvancingGuitarist [Hal Leonard]. He also gives clinics and perjorms worldwti, His recent albums include RareBirds(withJoe Diorio) and Sunscreams, and a new album with WolfgangMuthspiel is in the works.